Check Out This Early Wii U GamePad Prototype

In the most recent installment of Iwata Asks, designers of Nintendo's online service Miiverse revealed the early prototype they used to get accustomed to the "feel" of the Wii U GamePad: one made entirely out of cardboard.

The model even had a slot in which to insert pieces of paper, enabling the designers to change the display.

The prototype was built by Kazuyuki Motoyama, a Hatena designer who worked on the Miiverse UI."We wouldn't know how it felt unless we could actually hold it, but since we didn't have one, the only thing to do was make one," Motoyama explained. "In the middle of the night, I cut pieces of cardboard and glued them together."

"It even has the grips in the back," added Hatena director Yoshiomi Kurisu. "Motoyama-san burnt the midnight oil to make this."

For those who can't wait until the launch of the Wii U, perhaps it's time to get out the scissors.

The Wii U will be released in North America on November 18, and Europe and Australia on November 30.

Source : ign[dot]com

Outrun Stormtroopers on the Aerofex Hoverbike

Resurrecting a 50-year-old design that was abandoned for stability issues, the engineers at Aerofex have built a working hoverbike prototype.

The stability fix Aerofex came up with is an elegant solution: knee-level control bars let the pilot manipulate roll by leaning, leaving the handlebars to control pitch and yaw. The system is purportedly intuitive enough that anybody with good enough balance to handle a motorcycle can pilot it without training.

The current prototype limits altitude to 15 feet and speed to about 30 mph - but those limits are cautionary. An older version could reportedly fly as fast as most helicopters.

Unfortunately, Aerofex isn't planning to release the manned version of the hoverbike anytime soon. They're focusing instead on developing an unmanned drone version, which they expect to be testing by the end of 2013.

Jon Fox is a Seattle hipster who loves polar bears and climbing trees. You can follow him on Twitter and IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com